Publisher: Appalachian Trail Conservancy

In 2000, inspired by her father, Leslie Mass decided she would turn a lifelong fantasy into reality.At the age of 59, she began to train for a grueling journey, a thru-hike of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. [i]In Beauty May She Walk[/i] chronicles Leslie's struggles and triumphs during her hike. On the trail, Leslie struggles with how to balance the needs of her family and friends while making the trail a priority; how to shed years of social conditioning that dictate how a woman should act and how to know when to ask for help, while understanding that sometimes, help has to come from within. As the terrain toughens, she struggles to keep up physically with the trail community she depends on socially to keep going and realizes the difficulty of maintaining her obligations to family and friends. After Sept. 11, 2001, it all changes for a hiker even more alone on the Appalachian Trail.

About Leslie Mass

Born in Ipswich, Mass. and reared in Stratford, Conn., Leslie earned her bachelor's degree at Gettysburg College and master's and doctorate in early and middle-childhood education from Ohio State University. She and her husband, George, have two grown daughters and a grandson. Leslie is active in the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association.